Civic Participation and Infrastructure Help Make Portland, Oregon an Age-Friendly City

As life expectancy increases, older Americans, are looking for ways to stay active and involved in their neighborhoods and communities. At the same time, today's suggested health and well-being initiatives for seniors encourage participation in volunteerism, community activism and membership in local civic organizations. According to an AARP study, volunteer work and neighborhood involvement by seniors have increased significantly over the past decade and a half.

Globally recognized by the World Health Organization as an age-friendly city, Portland has long been on the forefront of advocating for and accommodating meaningful opportunities for its older residents. "There are a lot of great things to do in Portland that make it a livable city, but there is a real core value in volunteerism and civic engagement that makes it special," reveals Leslie Foren, Vice-President of Member & Community Relations at Terwilliger Plaza, a non-profit retirement community located in the heart of the downtown area. "The city provides many, many opportunities, and also relies upon that participation from its residents. It is a natural thing for Portlanders to partake in civic engagement, volunteering and non-profit opportunities."

Enabling these opportunities, significant emphasis has been placed by the city on improving housing, transportation, public spaces and other infrastructure features to make them more accessible to the elderly within the downtown area.

built in mind of being user-friendly for all folks, including seniors with limited mobility," Foren states. "We all reap the rewards of a universally-designed city."

"Portland has one of the best transportation systems in the United States - and is also a very active walking and biking city," adds Keely Raff, vice president of sales and marketing at Terwilliger Plaza. "It allows people to stay independent, which has real appeal to those that are older and still want to be in charge of their life."

And in turn, being in charge of one's life has a direct correlation with civic participation. Raff explains, "Many people think that as you get older, (life) is a downward decline. But being in Portland--with all the activism, the opportunities to be engaged, the opportunities to define your life with the support of the city--it allows you to look forward."

This thinking has led the residents of Terwilliger Plaza to embrace the ethos of "living forward." It's a lifestyle committed to maintaining individualized values and sustained purpose, and one in which retirement doesn't mean retiring one's passions, but rather renewing them and finding new ones.

"'Living Forward' is a mindset. You can continue to be creative and engaged by looking forward and making new memories," elaborates Raff. "That really speaks to breaking ageist stereotypes. Age doesn't define you; it's about thriving, not just surviving."

Thanks to downtown Portland's adoption of numerous senior-friendly initiatives, "living forward" is not only possible for the city's older residents, but it is easily accessible--and it is allowing them to thrive.